By Dylan Fink | Sports Writer
Baylor traveled down to Space City on Wednesday evening to take on the No. 7 Houston Cougars in the final week of conference play.
Despite bringing a fighting spirit, the Bears fell short of a much-needed upset, 77-64. Houston (25-5, 13-4 Big 12) closed the game on a 21-6 run to put Baylor (15-15, 5-12 Big 12) away despite leading for 34 minutes of play.
Coming off of a Quad 1 win at UCF, Baylor was looking to develop a win streak at the Fertitta Center.
The Bears came out firing, as redshirt sophomore guard Cameron Carr drained a three to find the first points of the game. The deep play stayed active for the team’s scoring leader as he again found the bottom of the basket with a heat check from the logo.
By the ninth minute of the matchup the Bears had built an early lead of 19-11, shooting 7-for-9 from the floor. Every starter scored in that stretch.
The Bears relied on hedging screens and immediate switches to tame the Cougars on the defensive end. The offensive production continued to the final five minutes of the first for the green and gold, as the starting five combined for 33 points.
By the end of the first half, Houston had fought its way back to knot the matchup at 35 apiece. The Bears finished the first 20 shooting 50% from beyond the arc and winning the rebounding battle 19 to 17.
Houston freshman guard Kingston Flemings nearly single-handedly prevented the Bears from running away with the battle. The projected NBA Draft lottery pick found 12 points, three assists and three rebounds in the first half.
To start the second half, fifth-year guard Obi Agbim kept the 3-point attack going with a deep ball of his own. Houston was not willing to be put away with ease, proven by senior guard Emanuel Sharp secured an and-one three to keep the Cougars within one possession early in the second.
The back-and-forth game continued, as under 11 minutes the Bears led 50-46. Baylor had a 10-rebound advantage over Houston at that point, yet had given up 14 turnovers to the Cougars’ seven.
Houston finally took the lead with seven minutes remaining, as Sharp drained a logo shot to give Houston a two-point lead. The lead grew as three consecutive turnovers from the Bears led to a 13-0 run for the home team.
Freshman wing Tounde Yessoufou ended the drought, lofting in an and-one floater from the low block. Those were the only points Baylor found in a four-minute stretch as Houston led 72-61 with three minutes left.
The Bears repeatedly miscommunicated on defense, leading to an 18-3 run for the Cougars.
Yessoufou led the Bears in scoring (20 points) and on the boards (12 rebounds).
Baylor crumbled in the final stretch of the game, as Houston’s late run proved too much. The Bears gave up 18 turnovers while only forcing eight from the Cougars. The loss sends them back down to .500 on the season.
Baylor will finish its regular season against Utah (10-20, 2-15 Big 12) at 4 p.m. Saturday at Foster Pavilion. The game will be streamed on Peacock.
